Incumbent Chris Pappas (D) and Karoline Leavitt (R) are running for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District on November 8, 2022.
Pappas served on the New Hampshire Executive Council and in the state House of Representatives before Congress. He emphasizes his experience owning a restaurant. Pappas says his record includes working for affordable healthcare for New Hampshirites and combatting the opioid crisis. Pappas called Leavitt “the most extreme, out-of-step nominee” the district has seen and has criticized Leavitt’s support for the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Leavitt was a presidential writer and assistant press secretary under President Donald Trump (R). She highlights working for her family’s small business while growing up and her work in the Trump administration. Leavitt discusses securing the border, supporting police, and banning critical race theory as priorities. She said Pappas, along with President Joe Biden (D) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D), are “destroying our economy, brainwashing our children, and allowing illegals to invade.”
Democrats have held the seat since 2017. The 1st District changed party hands five times in elections between 2006 and 2016, alternating between Democrat Carol Shea-Porter and Republican Frank Guinta. Pappas was first elected in 2018, when he defeated Eddie Edwards (R) 54% to 45%. In 2020, Pappas defeated Matt Mowers (R) 51% to 46%.
Leavitt defeated Mowers in the 2022 Republican primary 33% to 26%.
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 districts in the House are up for election. As of September 20, 2022, Democrats hold a 221-212 advantage in the U.S. House with two vacancies. Republicans need to gain a net of six districts to win a majority in the chamber.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 52.2% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 46.2%.
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